Question: how hard was it to get into your line of work ?

Sam Geen answered on 18 Jun 2013:

You have to get good grades all the way through, which means it’s a lot of work. If you’re good at physics and maths it helps, but you need to work at it even so. Then you need to be persistent – apply to universities, work through university, keep applying for PhD positions. It’s not easy, and it’s not the end of the world if you don’t get it – there are plenty of other very interesting things to do – but if you work hard then you can get there.

That said, it’s worth pointing out – getting a science PhD doesn’t mean that you are guaranteed a job in a university. There are more PhD places than jobs in universities, and you’ll have to move around different universities in different places every few years between jobs. It’s still worth doing a PhD if you want to do scientific research, but be prepared to change jobs or look for work in a company that does scientific work if you finish your PhD and can’t find a university job. This isn’t all bad – there are plenty of fun jobs out there, just be prepared to change jobs from time to time.

And again – remember if you don’t get the results you want or find you’re not that great at maths, there are always interesting things to do in your life. Just keep working at it and don’t give up!